familypediawikiaorg-20200214-history
Prospect, New South Wales
Prospect is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Prospect is located 32 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Blacktown and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. There are 3 sporting teams in the city of prospect . Prospect united soccer club (1969-present.) Prospect Rovers Rugby league (1981- 1997.) Prospect tennis Association History The suburb of Prospect takes its name from the prominent nearby landmark of Prospect Hill -from the top of which people could get a prospect of (see a great distance) the surrounding country-side. Initially a settlement for emancipated convicts, it later became a village (whose Post Office and church still stand in isolation between the Great Western Highway and the M4 Western Motorway). Prospect village became the basis for the much larger parish of Prospect, encompassing most or all of the present City of Blacktown. The present Prospect suburb is just one of many suburbs of Blacktown. Shortly after 1808, William Lawson was appointed aide-de-camp to George Johnston, was granted at Prospect and built a large house there, which he named Veteran Hall. He died on the property on 16 June 1850 and it was eventually acquired by the Metropolitan Water Board. In the 1880s most of the property was submerged in what is now Prospect reservoir.although Veteran Hall itself was well above the water level. In 1912 it was used by the army and many of the larger rooms subdivided, giving rise to a myth that it had been a "forty-roomed mansion" in Lawson's time. The house was demolished in 1926. The Emu and Prospect Gravel and Road Metal Company Limited opened a private railway line from Toongabbie to Prospect Quarry on 7 April 1902. Following the inability of the Government railway to supply rail wagons, trains stopped running on the line in 1945, however the rails remained in situ until the early 1960s.Sydney's Forgotten Quarry Railways - Oakes, John pp9-27 ISBN 0-9757870-3-9 Landmarks * Prospect Hill, though no longer in Prospect, is visible from many locations in the suburb. It is a noticeable landmark of historical importance in the early settlement history of New South Wales and the suburb takes its name from the hill. The hill is composed entirely of dolerite intruded into the Sydney Basin rocks during the Jurassic period.http://australianmuseum.net.au/The-Sydney-Basin * Prospect reservoir, located in the Western Sydney Regional Park, is a water storage reservoir located at the headwaters of Prospect Creek. Surrounding the Reservoir, there are recreational picnic areas, playgrounds, public parking and shelters. * St Bartholomew's Church of England is a brick church with a cemetery that contains the tomb of Lieutenant William Lawson and the graves of a number of pioneering families. It is listed on the Register of the National Estate.The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, p. 2/12 Transport Prospect is adjacent to the Great Western Highway and the M4 Motorway, providing road access to the western sections of the city and eastward to the Sydney CBD. Prospect Highway links Prospect to central Blacktown. Blacktown railway station provides access to the Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink networks, especially Sydney Trains' Western line. Several bus companies offer connecting services between Prospect and Blacktown, via Blacktown Road. Notable residents Notable people who have resided in the suburb include: * Natasha Crofts - Australian Mother of the Year in 2007 References External links * The Prospect Heritage Trust Inc - local historical society web site Category:Suburbs of Sydney